Abuja: President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PiCNG) to roll out 100,000 vehicle conversion kits nationwide, a move aimed at accelerating Nigeria’s shift to cleaner, more affordable energy.
The directive aims to expand access to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a cheaper, cleaner alternative to petrol.
The Executive Chairman of PiCNG, Mr Ismael Ahmed, disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with the President on Tuesday. The meeting took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Ahmed said the president requested an update on the initiative’s progress and on measures to cushion the effects of rising global petroleum prices.
He said the president is concerned about the impact of tensions in the Middle East. These tensions are affecting fuel costs.
“The President asked what PiCNG is doing to scale up gas availability nationwide.
“He directly instructed us to deploy 100,000 conversion kits immediately,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed said the kits will let vehicle and tricycle owners convert engines from petrol to CNG.
He added that deployment will begin within the next two to three weeks.
“Conversion centres nationwide will soon be busy with large-scale vehicle conversions.
Ahmed said the initiative was also accelerating infrastructure development to support gas- and electric-mobility.
He said the government is expanding refuelling stations and charging infrastructure along key transport corridors.
He said, “We currently have about 77 refuelling stations at various stages of development across the country.”
He noted that Kano already had two Liquefied Compressed Natural Gas stations. Additional daughter stations are under development.
Ahmed said the infrastructure rollout would extend along major routes. These routes run from Lokoja to Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, and further to Kano and Maiduguri. He added that the initiative is also advancing electric mobility for clean energy transition.
According to him, the government is partnering with local and international manufacturers to encourage the assembly of electric vehicles in Nigeria. Ahmed said the initiative is working with the Rural Electrification Agency to set up solar charging stations in off-grid areas. He said the president expects rapid results that will lower transportation costs and improve mobility for Nigerians.
